Moonshine
by FeliciaMaplewood
Summary: When Lee is away on a mission, Leatherneck assists Amanda in crisis. When he returns, difficulties ensue.
1. Chapter 1

_Set between the end of the third season and before the fourth season. This story takes place after my previous three stories:__Highland Fling__, __The Whole Enchilada__, and __Diving for Pearls__._

_Rating: T_

_Synopsis: When Lee is away on a mission, Leatherneck assists Amanda in crisis. When he returns, difficulties ensue._

_This story is for SpyGirl1969 who suggested the premise of a Leatherneck/Amanda fanfic. (I just had no idea it would take 3 months to write!)._

_Disclaimers and Caveats: __Scarecrow and Mrs. King_ was created by Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross-Leming, and is a production of Shoot The Moon Enterprises, in conjunction with Warner Bros. Studios. Shoot The Moon Enterprises, Ltd. is owned by Kate Jackson. _Scarecrow and Mrs. King_ was filmed at the Burbank Studios and surrounding areas in Burbank, California. Stock footage filmed in Washington, D.C. during the first season.

Regrettably, I do not own the characters, but I did take them out for another spin. Lee was not amused at my jeopardizing Amanda and pulled out his service revolver before coolly informing me I needed to return them to Warner Bros/Shoot the Moon immediately -- or I wouldn't like the consequences. I decided not to mess with him. Also very regrettably, I will not receive any remuneration – Amanda heard this and shook her head empathetically. She understands the predicament of a working mom.

**Moonshine**

"Ah for Cripes sake, that's jus' downright stupid, Chief!" Leatherneck's rough drawl broke the silence that followed Billy Melrose's pronouncement. As always, he had been leaning back until his chair rocked back on its hind legs with his fingers laced across his middle. The chair came down with a thud as he leaned forward to push away Dr. Smyth's latest edict before him. The paper skittered across the table; the conference room felt closed and tight with palpable tension.

"Be that as it may, Leatherneck, these are our orders and we will have to adapt." Billy Melrose spoke with the quiet authority that commanded respect from all his listeners. "Dr. Smyth has been quite clear there will be no exceptions. Are there any questions?…All right then, you have your assignments and I expect you to get right to them. This discussion in now over." He dismissed them sharply. He paused behind Mrs. King's chair as if he wanted to say something, but shook his head, sighed and departed the room.

Francine began brusquely picking up the briefing materials, she gave Amanda a pitying look and left the room in a whirlwind of efficiency. Fielder, McEvoy, Sanders and Kildair followed suit more slowly, muttering among themselves. There was possibly no one more hated than Dr. Smyth at the Agency. At times he downright preferred the Russians, thought Leatherneck. He cocked his head and regarded Amanda King across from him down at the other end of the conference room table. Her head was bent and her hands held so tightly before her that her knuckles were white. Notably absent was the one man who would have been sure to defend her.

"Ah shoot, Mrs. King. Don't take it too serious. Most of these pronouncements from up on high never amount to anything - it'll end up lining a bird cage in a couple of weeks, see if it doesn't." His tone was scoffing, but he could see Mrs. King had taken the briefing very much to heart.

She looked up at him with dread in her eyes. "He said anyone who couldn't complete Station One training can't work in the field in any capacity. And to do it by next Tuesday? I can't…I mean, it's just… I tried so hard." She bit down hard on her lower lip and looked away sharply.

Leatherneck sighed. Scarecrow should have been here; he would have found a way to stop it. Knowing that prick Smyth, he probably intentionally timed this for when Lee was out of the country. He snorted. Smyth and his damn policies would change any way the wind in Washington politics blew on any given day. The only casualties would be his own hard-working employees. Mrs. King didn't deserve this; she had come a long way in the past few months.

"I could teach you." His voice was rough, but sincere.

Amanda shrugged and shook her head. "Thanks, Leatherneck. But it's no use. I've failed Station One twice now…I never even got close to finishing it. Maybe I'm just not cut out for…"

"Hey! Cut that out!" Leatherneck interjected. "Mrs. King, you've done some fine work. Damn fine. Just cause Smyth has his head up his…" He coughed and amended himself, "well, you know what I mean. Look, Mrs. King, I know you'd probably feel more comfortable with Ace there, but after all, who do you think taught him? I could teach you." He had a teasing glint in his eye, but his tone was sincere and persuasive. He rose out his chair and rested his jean clad thighs on the edge of the conference table, leaning toward her.

"I couldn't ask you to…" she began.

"You didn't; I offered. Look, you already finished the 'Entry and Escape' class and your target range percentages are way up…you're not even shooting the ceiling any more." He gave her a tight, conspiratorial grin. "The main thing you need to get down is driving. And, Mrs. King, I can teach _anyone how to drive." _

Amanda shook her head and laughed lightly. "Even me? In one weekend?"

"Oh, yeah!" His eyes were warm and reassuring. He watched her take in a shaky breath.

"So who taught you?"

"My granddad. He used to run 'shine out of Alabama back in the day." He gave an apologetic shrug. "Don't think it ever got out of his blood. My mom was set to kill him, then figured I was just a chip off his block. Look, Mrs. King…I helped design that motor course at Station One. I swear I can get you through it." He exuded the confidence she lacked.

"Well, what do I have to lose, right?" She gave him a wavering smile as she stood and brushed imaginary creases from her skirt.

He liked that about her, he realized. She was always game for a challenge. She always pushed herself and when push came to shove, she never gave up. He was glad Scarecrow was out of the country, after all. There was just something about Mrs. King that made him want to be her knight in shining armor.

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"Fellas - you ready yet?" Amanda called up the stairs, resting her hand on the newel post. Her sons backpacks, sleeping bags and camping supplies lay at her feet. She turned back to face her ex-husband with an apologetic shrug.

"Do we need to tell them it's only a three-day camping trip?" Joe asked wryly.

"I think they take after their grandmother; better pack everything just in case you may need it," she replied with a light smile. "They're really excited about this, Joe - Thanks for taking them."

"What will you be doing with yourself this weekend? With your mother gone you may find it a little too quiet. I can always pitch another tent if you want to come along." Joe's eyes were intent; he was curious since she'd been surprisingly mum about her own plans.

Amanda laughed, "I'll be sure to keep busy." She kept her plans vague. It was a relief that her mother had gone on a retreat with her quilting group. One less explanation she would have to fabricate for her suspicious parent. She looked up the stairs and smiled to see both boys come barreling down at a full clip. They greeted their dad and grabbed their bags before dashing to the door.

"Hey. Whoa there! I think you forgot something!" Amanda protested.

Jamie and Phillip moaned in token protest, but each came back to kiss her cheek quickly.

"Bye, Mom!" shouted Jamie, already halfway out the door.

"Phillip, don't forget to use bug spray. And make sure you both don't get into any poison ivy. You remember…three shiny…" she started to warn them.

"Leaves! I know, I know, Mom. Don't worry!" Phillip reassured her impatiently. "Come on, Dad. Let's go!"

"Love you!" she called out to their retreating backs. Joe already looked a little harried, thought Amanda. He would be exhausted by Monday; she bit down on her cheek to hold in the grin. She closed the door behind them and leaned back against it, blowing out a breath. She checked her watch. Fifteen minutes…she could already feel her palms sweat in nervous anticipation. She took a few deep calming breaths that her yoga instructor had assured her would help her find her center. It wasn't working.

"Face it, Amanda…you're chicken," she said aloud to herself. And she was. There was nothing like repeated failure to undermine her self-confidence. She had tried to pass Station One twice and failed abysmally both times. Granted, she thought, the first time there had been interference in the form of assassination attempts by the Russians. The second time…well, that had just been her own weaknesses. Why had Dr. Smyth suddenly mandated that everyone working in the field pass Station One? It wasn't as if she had needed to pass it to be successful, at least in her current role. She bit her lip in consternation. If she didn't pass it this time, she wouldn't be able to work with Lee. She let out a short sharp breath. That was an eventuality she just didn't want to face.

But then, the last two times she hadn't had coaching. Leatherneck was right. She had done quite well in that 'Entry and Escape' class. Actually, she had put her lock-picking skills to the test last week when she locked herself out of the garage. Come to think of it, she no longer received those faintly derisive remarks from her colleagues in the bullpen after Ian Fraser had worked with her on target practice. She had even used those skills in the field to save her partner and Francine, even if she had shot a suspending pulley rather than the villain holding them at gunpoint. She had gotten the job done, after all, and she had done it on her own terms. Ian was right. If she wasn't going to shoot to kill, she had to be more accurate, not less.

Her teeth worried at her lower lip. It was the driving that made her nervous now. Even with Leatherneck's assurances, she wasn't sure she could ever complete that driving course. It was just so counter-intuitive. She had always been a safe driver. She had discounted insurance because of her safe driving record. Well, she had always had it prior to working at the Agency, at any rate. Reluctantly, she had to admit to herself that there were few enough occasions that she had even been in a position where she had to drive. She trusted Lee to handle that part of the job.

She found herself nervously scrubbing her already spotless kitchen counters. Her anxiety needed some kind of release. Amanda started when she heard the doorbell and rubbed her palms on her jean-clad thighs. That would be Leatherneck.

She rapidly strode to the door, pulling it open with a forced, bright smile. "Hi, Lea…Hi, Linda!" she corrected herself in surprise.

"How did you know it would be me?" Her good friend replied with a questioning smile.

"Oh…intuition, I guess," Amanda replied. "Come on in."

The petite blonde shook her pixie cut out of her blue eyes and followed her into the foyer. "I can't stay, I just wanted to drop these off and thank you for lending them to me." Linda passed her a cardboard box full of tools. "You're a lifesaver, Amanda!"

Amanda shrugged and cocked her head with a small smile. "Well, I'm glad they came in handy. Did you manage to fix the leak?"

"For the moment, anyway!" Linda's blue eyes laughed up at her friend. "Never knew I could do plumbing! I am woman. Hear me roar!" Amanda was proud of her. Their friendship had been forged in the fire a few years before as they each struggled through divorce to their new lives as single moms.

Amanda laughed, "Well, it sounds like you were more successful than I was! I still ended up needing to call a plumber."

Linda winced. "Hopefully that won't happen. I just can't face another bill right now…Say, where are the boys? Jared and Tyler wanted to know if they wanted to play ball."

Amanda shook her head. "Sorry, they're with their dad for the weekend. They'll be sorry to have missed your boys. How about Tuesday?"

"Sure, sounds good. Maybe we can catch up over coffee then."

"I'd love that!" Amanda replied. The doorbell rang and she made a nervous start. "Sorry, I have a friend from work visiting today." She smiled apologetically at Linda as she opened the door.

"Hi there!" she greeted Leatherneck brightly. "Come on in! Linda…this is my co-worker I was telling you about…" She turned to find Linda staring in frank admiration at Leatherneck in his jeans and black leather jacket.

He pulled off his shades to give her a slow smile. "Ma'am." He gave her a sketchy salute before taking her hand.

"I'm Linda…Linda Caprese." The blonde's voice was breathy and her eyes a trifle wide.

"Jack…Jackson Mitchell. It's a pleasure, ma'am." His smile was appreciative as he took in her trim figure and delicate features.

"Likewise…Well, um... 'Fraid I have to get going. Still have a couple of houses to do. It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Mitchell! I'll catch up with you on Tuesday, Amanda," she gave Amanda a telling look as she headed out the door. There was more than a tinge of envy, as well.

Amanda bit her lip and shook her head. She would have a lot of fancy footwork to do on Tuesday to convince her long-time friend that she didn't have a hot romance brewing. She loved her work at the Agency, but she hated having to tell so many lies to the people who were important to her. Amanda closed the door and turned around anxiously to face Leatherneck.

"I never knew your name was Jackson," she said in a nervous rush.

"Yeah…the Third, actually. Grand family tradition. I still prefer Leatherneck." he shrugged uncomfortably. "Nice lady." He jerked his head at the door.

"Linda? We've been friends a long time. I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to talk to her longer…She's wonderful. She's been a rock for me, really."

Leatherneck nodded. "Yeah - good friends are better than family."

"I suppose. I mean my mother is wonderful. I don't know what the boys and I would do without her and even my aunt is really supportive. But you know…they worry. You can't tell them anything without their worrying to death…and the advice. Trust me there is not a subject that my mother doesn't have a word of advice for…but Linda will just listen and let me work out my problems myself." She shrugged. "I probably shouldn't even tell her my problems, she's had so many more than me. I mean, Joe left me in pretty good straits after the divorce, but Tony was an investment broker. He left Linda flat broke and skipped the country…never even paid his child support." Amanda paused for breath.

He shook his head. "An ass like that doesn't deserve kids…hey, you wouldn't know it. She seemed to have it pretty together."

"We got divorced about the same time. Most mothers on the PTO barely spoke to us, like divorce was something you could catch…so we stuck together. I watched her boys when she started her business." Amanda's voice was matter of fact. Talking about Linda took her mind off the real reason Leatherneck had come today.

He seemed curious. "So what does she do?"

"Cleaning houses, errands, odd jobs like pet sitting. I don't know how she holds it all together, but somehow she does."

Leatherneck nodded soberly. "Nothin' wrong with that. My mom cleaned houses too." He changed the subject. "So - you ready for your driving lesson, or did you need me to fix your plumbing?" His mouth pulled back in a lazy grin as he cocked his head and looked at the box of supplies still perched on her hip.

"Oh this?!" She laughed and colored lightly. "No…Linda was just returning it. She had some repairs to do at her house. I'll just put this out back in the garage and I'll be right back. Make yourself at home."

Leatherneck took a few moments to wander around her living room, looking at the framed photos of her family on the bookshelves. It was tidy, which didn't surprise him knowing what he did about the owner. It was also bright, cheerful and homey. This was home people lived in comfortably.

Amanda breezed back into the room. "OK - Ready. Or at least as ready as I'm going to be…"she faltered nervously.

"Relax, Mrs. King. It's only a driving lesson. Shoot, you'll be giving your boys that soon enough, right?" He tossed her a quick grin as he carefully put the family photo back on the shelf.

"Somehow, I don't think I'll be teaching them the Bootlegger's turn, Leatherneck!"

"Well, you never know…" he drawled.

"Ha! I don't think so! So, do we take your car or mine?" She asked as she crossed to the door.

"Actually, Mrs. King, we're going to start on my bike. First thing we need to do is get you comfortable with speed and bikes go a lot faster than cars. Don't worry, I have spare helmet on the back of my bike."

A helmet was the least of her worries. Getting comfortable with speed? She wasn't sure she liked the sound of that. She locked the door behind her and approached his motorcycle with trepidation. Leatherneck had already swung his tightly compact frame onto the bike and was holding out a helmet to her. She grasped it with taut fingers, reluctantly accepting the challenge. What was she getting herself into? Tentatively, she pulled the helmet over her head and swung herself onto the back of the bike, lightly placing her hands on Leatherneck's waist. The bike roared into life. What on earth were her neighbors going to think? This would feed the gossip chain for weeks!

"Oh My Gosh!!" she whispered sharply in his ear as she felt the bike surge into life and they pulled out into the street.

"Oh Mrs. King, you ain't seen nothin' yet!" Leatherneck's voice rumbled with laughter. They traveled with the speed of traffic through the suburban neighborhoods surrounding Arlington. She felt so exposed. It terrified her to be traveling with all of these cars surrounding her with nothing but denim to protect her. She breathed shallowly as she tried to suppress her anxiety.

"Where are we going?" she all but shouted so that he would hear her.

"There are some pretty deserted roads out west of the Interstate. Not many cops there." He called back.

That wasn't exactly reassuring, she thought. Then, as she felt them accelerating on the ramp of the interstate, she stopped thinking and started resorting to prayer. She could see his speedometer over his shoulder, though, and she took comfort in the fact that they were obeying the speed limit. It just felt faster, she reasoned, because she was so exposed and could feel the wind as it blew in her face and plastered her clothes against her body.

"You OK back there?" he called back after some time.

"Uh-huh," she responded tightly. She couldn't formulate a sentence.

"Good. Here's where we turn off," Leatherneck shouted back.

Rather than slow down on the unmarked road, she felt the engines gun as the bike picked up even more speed. She could feel the drafts of heat against her calves. Her eyes teared up from the wind and she tucked her face behind his shoulder. Reflexively, she grasped his waist tighter as they banked in a long sweeping curve. Quickly peering over his shoulder, she saw their speed climb…70...75...80...85...

"Oh my gosh," her voice was pitched just below a scream. "Isn't this fast enough?"

85...87...90...95. They whipped past trees on either side in a blinding blur. After a while, all Amanda was truly aware of was the loud hum of the motor and the vibration of the bike. She still grasped onto Leatherneck for dear life, but the speed no longer shocked her. As he eased up on the acceleration and they slowed back down into the eighties and then the seventies, she relaxed. Finally, he pulled into a rest area and brought the bike to a standstill.

"You alive back there?" he joked turning around to face her.

"I think so!" she said breathlessly.

"Good one. OK, then…now that you're used to some speed. Let's go get you some wheels." She could just make out the grin behind Leatherneck's helmet.

"Um…it's Saturday, Leatherneck. I don't think Gino will be at the lot and I don't think Mr. Melrose will let me borrow an agency car just to practice on. We can use mine…" she offered reluctantly.

"Nah…Got plenty at my place. You ready?"

"I think so!" She tipped up her chin bravely.

"You know, Mrs. King…there's hope for you yet!" Leatherneck laughed giving her a cocky grin before turning around and pealing out of the rest area leaving a plume of dust and sand behind them.

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK


	2. Chapter 2

She would never, never feel the need for speed. She breathed a prayer of thanks as they swept up the long, deserted driveway to Leatherneck's house. Amanda happily swung off the bike and looked around; it wasn't what she had imagined. She faced a neat, trim Fifties ranch with white clapboards and red shutters and a long sloping yard behind it. Willow trees graced the side of the yard, dipping into a stream that burbled past. Children had played here, she was sure of it - catching fireflies, shagging balls, racing through the stream.

On the other side of the house was a covered walkway to what was clearly a new addition, a two car garage with a workshop above it. Even that wasn't big enough to house the many cars in various states of completion on the edge of the drive and behind the garage. A tail-finned aqua car with white-walled tires rested in the shade of the pines. A dusty red pick-up truck was behind it. Muscle cars stood jig by jaw next to foreign sports cars - Trans Am, Porsche, Audi…she shook her head as she passed by them walking toward the house. Leatherneck wasn't kidding, he did have quite a selection.

"Hey…come on in. We can pack some sandwiches in case we don't get back quick." He held open the wood-framed screen door to the kitchen.

She walked in and her face lit into a smile. The kitchen was a throw-back to the fifties as well. It reminded her of her aunt's house growing up. She ran her fingers along the chrome edge of the red formica counters. She remembered leaning against such counters and drinking orange juice from jelly glasses and eating cinnamon toast. Good times. "Wow, Leatherneck. This is wonderful…you kept it just as it always was."

Leatherneck closed the door of the rounded refrigerator. "No sense in changing it…it all worked." He shrugged.

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." She quoted.

He looked up in surprise. "My dad always said that…he's the one who taught me to fix stuff. Made him plumb crazy the way people throw out things before their time."

She nodded. "Linda is the one who always says that to me. Mind you, she's the one who can actually fix things so they stay fixed."

"She the one with your plumbing supplies?" Leatherneck looked up at her quickly as he assembled sandwiches.

"Uh-huh…hey, can I help?" Amanda's hands twitched restlessly. She wasn't used to being waited on.

"Nah…won't take a minute. Actually…can you get the cooler? It's in the living room."

Amanda rounded the corner of the kitchen and stopped short before ruefully shaking her head. She passed carefully through the dining room stepping around the disassembled motor bike. Leatherneck's tools hung carefully and neatly in the white painted china cabinet built into the wall. Bachelors! She received another shock as she turned left into the living room. Spartan didn't even begin to cover it. A single lawn chair occupied the center of the room facing a television on a TV table. An orange cooler served as a coffee table. Lights were bare in the fixtures - no curtains - no rugs. Curiosity impelled her to cross to the fireplace mantle where a small silver framed pictures rested, the only décor of any kind in the room. A grainy faded picture of three soldiers surrounded a younger Leatherneck, also dressed in fatigues. It must have been Vietnam. She put down the picture guiltily and quickly turned to bring the cooler to the kitchen.

"Um…Leatherneck?" she broached her inquiry carefully, placing the cooler on the table.

"Yeah?" He filled the cooler with some ice.

"How long have you lived here?"

" 'Bout eight years now," he drawled.

"Do you dislike furniture?" Her tone was infused with laughter.

He turned to her with ready good humor. "Not furniture…no." He shrugged before saying, "Furniture salesmen…now they kind of give me the creeps."

"Aha…well…so you wouldn't actually mind a sofa or something?"

He chuckled, "I guess I got used to traveling light in the Marines. I've been thinking about getting a sofa and stuff for a few years…I really _hate_ shopping."

"I guess so!" She laughed, "Can I make you a deal, Leatherneck? You teach me the bootlegger's turn, and I'll protect you from the furniture salesmen when we get you a sofa." Her eyes were bright with humor. She hoped he would agree; it would make her feel so much better if she could do something so she didn't feel so deeply indebted to him.

"Shopping, huh?" He shook his head. "Sounds like Purgatory, but you're right. Probably past time I joined civilization."

She stuck out her hand with a wide smile crossing her face. "Deal!"

He gripped her hand in his callused one and met her eyes. His eyes were warm and there was a glint of something more she couldn't identify. She cleared her throat and awkwardly pulled back her hand, tucking it into her jeans pocket.

"Sure you don't need any help?" she asked. Perhaps the undercurrent had been in her imagination.

"Nah…we're good to go," he said, shutting the cooler lid and hoisting onto his shoulder.

She preceded him out the kitchen door and faced the array of cars in the driveway. "Um…which one?"

He pointed straight ahead at a white Trans Am with an outstretched bird painted on the hood. "That one. Low center of gravity and she's got roll bars. 'Sides, she's already beat up so bad you couldn't damage her."

She gave him an uncertain smile before realizing he was pulling her leg and they walked over to the car.

"Only one problem, though," he said while popping the trunk to put in the cooler. "Doors are welded shut. Got to go through the windows."

She looked at him incredulously. He must be kidding! No…not kidding, she revised as she saw him swing his compact frame in through the passenger window. She approached the car with trepidation. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked him through the driver's window.

"Look at it this way, Mrs. King. These doors won't pop open no matter what you do," he said in what she guessed must have been his attempt to reassure her. She sighed. In for a penny, in for a pound.

"That's right, Mrs. King. Just swing your legs in and let your body slide in after…I've got you." he coached her as he pulled her in effortlessly. It was easy to underestimate how strong he was, she realized. He didn't have Lee's height and he carried himself lightly; but time and again, she'd seen Leatherneck easily trounce more heavily built men.

"Oh my gosh," she breathed as she settled into the bucket seat. "Who in their right mind would weld a car's doors shut?"

"That would be me," he replied with suppressed laughter.

She colored. "Oh…sorry about that. I thought you got it like that."

He waved off her apology. "No big deal. Here's the keys. We're going back where we were on the bike. There's a lot of unused roads we can practice on."

"Right…Great." Amanda sounded reluctant, but turned on the ignition. The engine made a low, throbbing rumble. This was definitely not her station wagon. If her mother could only see her now, she thought wildly, backing the muscle car down the driveway.

For the next few hours they sped down the uninhabited roads unimpeded. Leatherneck seemed relaxed with his arm resting on the window frame in stark contrast to her tense shoulders and arms as she gripped the wheel tightly. In a low, even drawl he coached her through basic techniques for high speed chases, strategies for losing a tail, and even how to cripple an opponent's car.

They were stopped as he explained. "Look…imagine there's a car right down there cross-wise across the road, blocking you and there's no other way out. You're just gonna have to move 'em. Don't have to go fast…25 to 30 will do it. But you head at an angle - 45 degree angle toward their rear axle. You go straight on and you'll just kill your own front end. Hit 'em at an angle and you'll crush their wheel well and spin the car out of the way. See?" he gestured with his hands imitating the car movements. "If you have to, you can hit their front axle, but the rear works better every time."

She looked intently at his hands and nodded, then looked up. "Gosh, Leatherneck. I hope I never have to do that."

His face was unreadable. "Mrs. King, I've done a lot of things I hoped I never would have to do…" His voice trailed off and then he changed the subject. "Let's have lunch…you probably could use a break about now. There's a good spot for a picnic up the road a piece."

They pulled off the dusty drag into the cool shadows of trees that lined a narrow drive leading to a sun dappled steam. Amanda eased it into park and then tried to simulate the easy grace that Leatherneck used to swing out of the car window. It must be an acquired skill, she thought as she struggled. She heard him chuckle behind her as he grasped her by the hips and easily pulled her into his arms before gently depositing her on the ground. She caught her balance resting her hands on his shoulders and laughed, "I don't think I'm going to have my wagon's doors welded shut!"

He smiled a slow lazy grin, "And here I thought I was converting you, Mrs. King."

She stepped back and slipped her hands in her pockets turning around gazing at the cool beauty that surrounded them. "This is lovely…just lovely. How did you know it was here?"

"Actually, Ace showed it to me a couple of years ago…right after we were recovering from being partners."

"Lee did? Wait…you and Lee were partners? I thought he didn't have a partner." She asked curiously following him to the flat rock next to the river and helping him unpack the cooler.

"Ha! Not for a lack of trying from the Chief! Billy tried putting Scarecrow together with a lot of agents…just didn't work and he finally gave up. Least he did 'til you showed up." He gave her quick grin. "Lee and I were partners for about two weeks and then we ended up in the hospital."

"Oh no! Was it an assignment? Did something go wrong?"

He cocked his head and looked her straight in the eye. "Nah…we fought. Lee gave me a broken nose and I cracked a couple of his ribs. Billy figured we weren't going to work out. Took us six weeks to even talk to each other again, but we ended up working it out. He brought me here to go fishing."

"He broke your nose?!" She sounded appalled.

He laughed, "Well, it wasn't the first time for me…Look, Mrs. King, everyone at the Agency knows Ace is impossible to work with. They all took bets about how long you would be able to work with him." He handed her a sandwich and a soda before taking a seat next to her on the rock.

"And just how long did they give me?" She asked, sounding faintly miffed.

"Well, now…I gave it five days, myself…but that was before I found out that you're just as stubborn as he is!" Leatherneck laughed.

"I'm not stubborn!" Amanda replied indignantly.

"Right…sure! You are, you sure are. Otherwise you would have quit a long time ago!" His drawl softened, "I'm glad you didn't, Mrs. King."

She smiled at his kindness. "Thanks Leatherneck…don't you think it's about time you called me Amanda?"

"Yeah, I think it might be." He had a quiet smile as he assessed her face. He paused before saying, "Amanda…it's gonna be all right. You'll get through this. 'Sides…passing Station One doesn't necessarily make someone a better agent."

"Really?" Her eyes were uncertain as she met his frank gaze.

"Nah…Fielder passed Station One -- doesn't mean I want to be sent on a stake-out with him." His thumb rubbed the side of his soda can reflectively. "The Agency doesn't like to admit it, but most of the training they give you won't help you face what you'll see out in the field."

Amanda raised her eyebrows in inquiry. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I think you better cut yourself some slack. Look…give 'em enough training and any dope can follow an Agency guidebook. It takes something else to be able to improvise and get the job done. 'Cause the enemy sure as hell isn't gonna set it up like the Agency guidebook. You're good at that, Mrs…Amanda. That's why Revlon gets her nose all bent out of joint when the Chief gives you an assignment instead of her," he finished with a quick sideways grin.

"Revlon?" she asked in confusion. An involuntary smile crossed her face. "Oh, you mean Francine! She'd hate that…she never uses over-the-counter cosmetics!"

Leatherneck shrugged. "Looks the same to me…it's all warpaint. Look the Agency has some damn stupid rules. Man, I thought I left that behind when I opted out of the Marines."

"Why did you go into the Marines?" she asked curiously.

"More family tradition…my uncles did, my dad did and then my best friend went and enlisted. I didn't really think about it before I did, too. Went through basic training and then came 'Nam." His face shuttered closed.

"I didn't mean to pry…but I saw a picture on your mantle," she ventured.

A brief smile lit his face that was sad, none the same. "Mike, Phin, and Chopper. They were great guys, every one. I was the only one who made it home."

"Oh, Leatherneck." She gripped his forearm with warm empathy. "I never realized…You know…I don't know how you do it. If anyone asked at the Agency who was the easiest going and happiest, they'd pick you. I'm sorry. I never knew what you faced in Vietnam."

He gave her a small smile and shrug. "Look, Amanda, I don't know if I can even explain. I learned one really important thing in 'Nam. There's dead and there's not dead. If you're not dead…that's a good thing and that's enough. I don't know why I got back and they didn't, but if they could be here they would want me to be living life large, you know? So Mike…he liked baseball. Every year, I go to an Orioles game, just for him. Phin…he liked chess. So T.P. Aquinas has been teachin' me how to play. Now Chopper…he liked beer and pretty women, pretty much in that order. He would have liked you!" He finished with a chuckle. "So I try to do right by him, too. I don't ever forget them. But I don't waste time wanting life to be different. Just being here is enough."

She nodded, there was a lot of rough wisdom in Leatherneck's point of view. She reflected that she often got caught up in day to day issues that might be urgent, but weren't really important. He was right. There was no sense in worrying about Dr. Smyth's edicts to the point where she couldn't sleep. She had a life full of blessings, and somehow she would manage. "Is that why the Agency's rules bother you so much?"

He snorted. "Marines…the Agency. They do good work, but you know…damn stupid rules happen in any organization."

"Like everyone in the field having to pass Station One?" She winced.

"For starters…I can think of a few others. The non-fraternization one…now there's a laugh." He tipped his head back to look up at the clouds.

She smiled lightly. "You don't approve of that one?" Amanda gathered up some of the smooth river stones in her hand and poured them from hand to hand. "Actually I think that one is pretty silly myself."

He turned to her and cocked an eyebrow in surprise. "Go figure. Why's that?" He leaned back resting on one elbow, considering her carefully.

She appeared to pause and think before she spoke and let the stones fall into the water. "Well…it's just that it's so hard for anyone outside the Agency to really understand the life of anyone inside the Agency…even to understand why we do it. Then there's the lies and the secrets. I think people are drawn to other people who can understand them. Most of the time I don't see that getting in the way of people doing their jobs, that's all." She shrugged and flushed slightly, looking as if she had a secret to hide.

"Yeah…you nailed that one," he said softly looking down at her hand resting on the rock between them.

"Why…is there someone you fancy back at the office?" Amanda kidded him gently. "Well, for heaven's sake Leatherneck, let her know. Life's too short to waste it waiting, you know." He was a good man and goodness knows, good men were few and far between. She knew far more single women than there were available single men.

He sat up with fluid grace and gazed at her intently. "What the hell!" He threaded his hand through the dark loose curls at the base of her neck and pulled her towards him in an impromptu embrace. Caught by surprise, Amanda made a slight exclamation as her right hand came to rest against his collarbone for balance. His touch was tender but his mouth was firm as it moved persuasively against hers in a long sampling kiss. She was surprised to feel a stirring within her and realized that if her heart wasn't already engaged, she could have very well been drawn to Leatherneck.

He pulled back gently and traced his fingers across her jaw line before resting a forefinger against her lips, as if urging her not to speak too soon. His smile was rueful. "I thought I might as well let her know." He eased his hand away from her face and caught her left hand in his.

"Leatherneck…" she began, and then her voice trailed off. She didn't know what to say. She felt shaken to the core. She had never suspected that he felt this way about her. She turned to look at the river, not able to meet his eyes. She bit her lip, loathe to hurt him.

He looked at her averted profile and knew without her saying it aloud. "Bad timing, huh?" His laugh was short and without mirth. "It's OK…there's someone else, isn't there?" She nodded quietly, still not able to meet his eyes.

Damn, it was a shame. He really liked her. She wasn't even giving him the kiss-off 'I like you as a friend' speech. A man had his pride, and somehow she knew it. "Is it Ace?" His voice was rough, but understanding. She looked at him with startled wide doe eyes and her voice caught without speaking. She couldn't lie to him, but she couldn't answer him either.

Leatherneck shook his head and hooked his arm around his knees as he looked out at the sun glinting on the water. "Hell, I shoulda known it…I like Scarecrow, Mrs. King…but he doesn't deserve someone as fine as you."

She cleared her throat before saying "I thought you were going to call me Amanda."

His gaze took in her face for a long moment, lingering on her lips. "If I do that, ma'am, I'll just end up kissing you again. I think it's safer if I keep thinking about you as Mrs. King. Don't worry…we can just forget this ever happened." He shrugged lightly before rising and turning away.

She rose with him. "Leatherneck…" She reached out to touch his arm. "If things were only a little different, I might have had a different answer." She shrugged apologetically giving him an uncertain smile.

He smiled easily in return. "Thanks, Mrs. King…and if Ace forgets to treat you like he's the luckiest man on earth, well then…you know where to find me, OK?"

She nodded shyly. "Leatherneck…you won't tell…" Her voice trailed off.

"Nah…nobody's business but your own. Don't worry." He leaned down to pick up the cooler before heading back to the car.

"Thanks, Leatherneck." She followed him thoughtfully and then shook her head. Whatever else she had thought this day would bring, it hadn't been this. Yet she couldn't help but be touched by the man or his kiss. She wished she didn't have to hurt him. Why did life have to be so complicated?

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"Look, Leatherneck, the least I can do is make you dinner." Amanda insisted as she opened the door to her house. "I don't know about you, but I'm starved."

"Well, I guess six hours of stunt driving will drive up an appetite." He rejoined, following her to the kitchen, slipping off his leather jacket and laying it on the back of the sofa.

She was tired, but exhilarated. After the last three hours of practice on dusty, deserted roads, she finally felt that she had mastered the dreaded bootleg turn. She had thought the afternoon would be awkward, but true to his word Leatherneck had pretended their lunchtime interlude had never happened. He was a wonderful teacher: humorous, patient and kind…and downright fearless. His unflinching belief that she could do it finally caught on. To her surprise, she found herself whipping down roads and executing hairpin turns. Her mother would have had a fit, but she had a sneaking suspicion her father would have been quite proud.

Amanda briskly washed her hands at the sink and toweled them dry before opening the fridge to determine what she could whip up quickly. "Is pasta all right with you?" she called out over her shoulder.

"Sure…if you let me help." he replied, heading over to the sink to wash up.

"You didn't get enough KP duty in the marines, then?" She laughed, tossing hima zuccini to chop.

"Well, it won't hurt to keep my hand in just in case I ever need to re-up." He smiled. He appeared to appreciate their easy camaraderie even as much as she did.

He made himself at home in her kitchen, pulling open the drawers until he found a paring knife and easily set to work.

The phone was a shrill interruption that caught them both by surprise.

Amanda tucked it between her ear and her shoulder as she lifted a pot full of water onto the stove. "Hello?….Slow down, Linda….Tell me again." She turned off the burner in order to focus on the call, worry creasing her forehead. "Where are the boys?"

Leatherneck picked up on the tone, if not the content and put down his knife, turning to face her. He looked intent as he tried to infer what was happening.

"Good thinking, Linda…this would scare them to death. Look, I want you to get out of that house and go next door. Are the Murphy's home? ….Uh-huh…I know, but I don't think you should be alone until the police arrive. Look, I'm coming over…I know, don't worry…I won't come alone." She looked up with entreaty at Leatherneck and saw his quick nod and was grateful for his unquestioning support. "OK…Linda, just head on over next door. I'll be right there." She hung up the phone before swinging around to face him with wide eyes.

"What happened?" Leatherneck cut to the chase.

"Her house has been broken into and she said rooms were trashed…Leatherneck, she sounded panicked. I'm sorry about dinner…"

He snorted before saying "Mrs. King…I'm a marine. I've been through worse than a missed meal. C'mon. I'll take you over there." He was already tossing on his jacket and holding open her front door.

She closed her eyes briefly in relief. One blessing about working at the Agency was having friends who were actually really useful in a crisis. At any other time, it would be Lee she would be relying on, but he hadn't so much as called her in the past three weeks that he had been gone. She was grateful beyond words for Leatherneck's stolid strength and calm.

She dashed out of the house after him and this time hopped on the back of the bike without hesitation, grateful for its speed. They made it across town to Linda's home in record time only to see two police cruisers were parked outside. She could see Linda with her arms crossed tightly against her chest as she spoke with one of the officers. As he turned to go in the house, she and Leatherneck hurried across the yard. She quickly enveloped her friend in a hug. "You OK?"

Linda nodded, whitefaced but determined. "I'll be OK."

"Are the boys with Harriet?" Amanda asked about their mutual friend.

Linda nodded with relief. "She said they could stay the night. I just knew they wouldn't be able to sleep tonight if they saw the house in this state."

"How bad is it?" Leatherneck asked in voice rough with concern.

Her eyes were frightened and bleak. "Bad enough. I don't know why they would come after our house. Pretty well everyone knows that we sold off anything worth having after Tony left. I couldn't see that they even took anything…I'm sorry you got dragged into this, Mr. Mitchell. I just didn't know who else to call besides Amanda."

"Don't worry about it. We're glad you did." Amanda reassured her.

"I hate this. I really hate this." Linda said in a low, tight voice as they watched the police consult with each other.

"Well of course you do!" Amanda replied, "No one likes having their home broken into."

"It's not that." Linda shook her head impatiently, tossing her head in the direction of a small crowd gathered by the street. "I hate seeing everyone gossip about me again. I hate being an object of pity." She finished fiercely. "I can't stand their pity."

Leatherneck knew something about pride and he couldn't help but like the gritty toughness of Amanda's petite friend who asked for no quarter. "Well…I don't know about pity," he drawled, "but curiosity is everybody's character flaw…could be they all are just curious. Entertainment's mighty hard to come by here in Arlington." He smiled to take any sting out of his words. "I promise…I will not pity you, no matter what." He made a sketchy cross over the left side of his chest, "cross my heart and hope to die."

That pulled a watery smile from the blonde. "Then I guess I won't have to stick a needle in your eye," she rejoined. "Thank you, Mr Mitch…"

"Jack," he interrupted her. "Call me Jack…or you can call me Leatherneck." She nodded with a slow smile. It was an unusual situation in which to make a friend.

"OK, Jack." she said softly.

For the next hour, they stood and kept her company as she filed a preliminary report and they watched the police cars leave. As they entered the front door with her, Amanda gasped and Leatherneck gave a long, low whistle. Trashed didn't begin to cover it. Papers were scattered over furniture tipped askew. Shelves that lined the walls were stark and empty, but the books and china bits that had rested on them were strewn about the room as if a small cyclone had blown through.

Linda's mouth set in a tight line as she pushed up her sleeves and immediately began wresting the furniture back in place. Amanda quickly set to work as well, but Leatherneck paused and scanned the room thoroughly with a considering look.

"The police have any suspects?" He asked thoughtfully, his hands resting lightly on his hips.

"No - they figured it was probably kids looking for quick money to buy drugs." Linda's voice was disgusted.

"All right if I look around?" He tipped his head toward the stairs leading up to his right.

"Sure…" Linda sounded surprised. "But can I ask what you're looking for?"

"Don't know yet…but save me some of the heavy liftin', I'll be right back." His face was uncharacteristically grim as he made his way up the stairs.

From down in the living room, he heard Linda ask Amanda "So what does Jack do at your office, anyway?"

Amanda gave a deliberately sketchy response "Well, Lea…Jack, he does a bit of everything I guess you could say. But he does a lot of training of new hires. Well, you see we get a lot of new graduates…mostly from art schools eager to do their first documentary and they're not always practical, you know? I mean, sometimes I wonder what they teach them there. You just wouldn't believe! Anyway, there's a lot of work involved in making sure they'll be ready for the field…" Amanda's voice faded as he made his way down the hall. He smiled, for someone who didn't like to tell lies, she could fabricate a whopper when she wanted to. He wondered how long she could go before she'd need to breathe.

The smile left his face when he looked into what must be Linda's bedroom. The destruction was even more complete. Her mattress was slashed and her dresser mirror was cracked. Every box had been torn open and every drawer dumped. Some framed photographs lay in broken shards on the floor, while the ones of her sons were curiously untouched on the dresser. While the contents of her closet were in general disarray, he noted a large white photo album on the floor of the closet was torn apart as if two dogs had fought over it. Flipping over a page, he found a picture of a somewhat younger smiling Linda in bridal white torn in half. His lips tightened. This wasn't a random act by kids. This was personal.

He dropped the photo and turned back to scan the room. Despite the rest of the destruction, the bedside lamp was untouched and looked incongruous. The lamps downstairs had been knocked over with their shades ripped asunder. Leatherneck ran appraising eyes over the lamp and felt the edge of the shade with care. His lips pulled in a one-sided smile as he found what he had thought might be there. He carefully detached the silver metallic 'bug' and pocketed it.

Heading down the upstairs hallways, he noted that the boys bedrooms had been searched but not destroyed. Looking up with appraising eyes, he pulled down the handle above him to release the folding attic stairs and quickly scaled them. Sure enough, the intruder had been checking up there too. Unless he completely missed his mark, he doubted any woman who cleaned houses for a living would leave her attic such an unsightly mess. Whatever the guy had been looking for, he doubted he had found it. That would explain the destructive anger he had unleashed on the house and its contents. Leatherneck shook his head, he wasn't looking forward to having to talk with Linda. If she didn't feel scared yet, she should.

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	3. Chapter 3

"I just can't believe Tony would do this!" Linda curled into the corner of Amanda's sofa and gripped her mug with tense fingers.

Amanda leaned forward in her chair and placed an empathic hand on Linda's forearm. "I know, I know…I can't believe it either." Her heart hurt for her friend at this ultimate betrayal. It was hard to wrap her mind around it.

Amanda reflected that she should count her blessings. Joe might not have been the most attentive husband or devoted father, especially when work distracted him; but he would never have gone out of his way to hurt them. This was different than the usual mayhem she experienced day to day by virtue of the fact that it was in virtually her second home that had been destroyed. She and Linda had shared countless cups of tea as their children had run tame through one another's houses. Her world felt tipped off its axis. More than ever before, she wanted the familiar comfort of Lee's arms around her. He always made her feel so safe - she missed him so much.

"Your friend Jack seemed so sure it was Tony…how would he know something like that?" Linda still looked shaken by Leatherneck's conclusions.

"Well, Linda…you know, before he worked for IFF, he was a Marine and he saw all kinds of crazy things. I think he was in some sort of special forces and had to do investigations, but I'm not sure. And you know, when we do some political documentaries, the film crew has to go to some pretty troubled parts of the world. Oh my Gosh, let's just say…he's been around the block a few times. If he felt it was Tony, sweetheart, he had good reason. He wouldn't just try and scare you." Amanda's voice was firm and reassuring.

Linda's voice cracked as she replied, "Thanks for letting me stay over, Amanda. I just didn't feel safe there tonight."

"It's fine, Linda, you know that" Amanda took her empty mug to the sink to rinse it. She spoke over her shoulder, "I'll take the boys out to the campsite tomorrow. Joe told me he had extra camping equipment and I know Jamie and Philip will be happy to see your guys. Leatherneck said he'd bring you back and put in new locks and some safety devices tomorrow morning." She wiped her hands and turned around, leaning back against the counter. "I figure what you need now is some rest!"

Linda waved off her suggestion. "Later, I'm still wired…" She looked intently at Amanda. "OK, honey, Give. Who is this Leatherneck of yours and where have you been hiding him?" Her voice was ripe with suggestion. She needed the distraction of thinking of anything but her own predicament, Amanda could tell.

Amanda shook her head and crossed her arms. "Not _my_ Leatherneck, Linda! He's a very nice guy who's been helping me out with a project at work…"

"He's been helping you out on the _weekends_? Taking you of all people, Amanda King!…out on his motorcycle? I have to admit he's not your usual style, but he's an improvement over most of the guys you've dug up for those charity functions! I know you and I've known you've had a man hiding around somewhere but this one was a surprise!" Linda teased her kindly with longstanding affection.

Amanda flushed lightly. She never had been able to hide things from Linda as easily as she could her mother. "Linda…" she drew out her name in exasperation. "Trust me, I do not have a 'thing' going on with Leatherneck." Her voice was definitive.

"Is that his choice or yours?" Linda inquired, not giving up.

"Linda! Really! There's nothing there, all right?! And you need to stop speculating about my love life and get some rest!" She strode over to the sofa and took Linda's coffee mug and placed it on the counter behind her before gesturing to the stairs.

"Huh! I'll let it go for now, Amanda…but I know you and there is more to this than you are telling me…" She covered a yawn as she headed toward the stairs. "So, Amanda…if you and Jack really don't have anything going on…is he, I mean, is he involved with someone else?"

"Nope. Not me, not anyone else." Amanda gently guided her best friend up the stairs.

"So, he's…available?" Linda asked diffidently, not looking directly at her friend.

Amanda paused briefly in surprise. "Well, yeah…but not for long, I'm guessing!"

A quick wistful smile stole across Linda's face. Amanda had a sudden flash of empathy. Linda had struggled for so long and so hard just to stay afloat, she hadn't had time for dating of any sort. She took her by the shoulders and gently pushed her through the guest bedroom door. "Now, get some rest. It will be better tomorrow."

She took a few steps down the hallway to her own room, shut the door and leaned her back against it before breathing out a long sigh. What a day!

Her body ached from the hours of tense driving. She felt grimy with dust from the motorcycle ride. Exhilaration from her accomplishment had been tempered by the evenings anxiety and upset, but she still felt excited and proud nonetheless. If only she could tell, Lee! Drat the man, where was he anyway and why hadn't he called? She had checked with Mr. Melrose, and he wasn't under no contact orders. She took a deep and steady calming breath. There's probably a good explanation, she thought. There had to be.

She headed to the shower, determined to keep perspective and keep her thoughts in line. But like unruly children, they kept piling about her mind as she washed her hair. Why hadn't she known that Leatherneck liked her…how had she missed that? Come to think of it, he had been awfully attentive during that Entry and Escape class. And when Lee had amnesia in the hospital, he had spent a lot of time in the room with them both. Her cheeks warmed as she recalled that whenever she looked up from her paperwork, his eyes had been on her. There were signs, she had just been blind to them while caught up in her own feelings about Lee. As she toweled herself dry, she covered her face with her hands in mortification. How could she have been so insensitive? Her fingertips pressed against her lips as she remembered Leatherneck's kiss at lunch time. If only she didn't like him so, she wouldn't feel so guilty. It had actually been quite…nice. He just wasn't Lee.

Yet Leatherneck was appealing, certainly Linda had thought so! She laughed quietly to herself. She couldn't imagine anyone more different from Linda's first husband than Leatherneck, but that was all to the good. She had never liked Tony's studied charm or shallow manners. The only thing the man had going for him was his GQ looks. But Leatherneck would be good for her…and she would be good for him. If she could help get them together, maybe she would stop feeling quite so awful herself.

She lay down and felt some comfort from that resolution; enough so that her thoughts paused in their mad chase long enough for exhaustion to claim her.

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"You really didn't have to do this…" Linda's voice was threaded with chagrin as she dismounted from the back of the bike.

Leatherneck shrugged. "Hey…if it will make you feel better, I don't think Amanda would have let you come back unless you came with me."

She gave a wry smile of acknowledgement. "Amanda's a real worrier." Amanda had worried so much overnight that come morning she insisted on bringing Linda's sons to join Jamie and Philip on their camping trip with Joe. It had taken Leatherneck's word of honor that he would not leave Linda alone for her to be willing to part from her friend.

Leatherneck reached out and grasped her wrist gently, but with emphasis. "But I wouldn't have let you come back alone either…and I'm not a worrier." His gaze was intent on her face and she shivered under his steady regard. It had been a long time since a man looked at her like that.

Linda nodded slightly. "OK, then…I guess it was pretty scary last night, wasn't it?"

He gave a quick shake of his head as he swung his compact frame off the bike. "Your ex- must have been a real head case."

"Well I guess it took me a few years to realize that he didn't have all lights on in the chandelier. He was pretty shady in his business dealings, but I was so blind I didn't realize it. I just never thought he'd be desperate enough to do what he did last night. I knew he didn't love me, but I didn't think he hated me!"

She misunderstood, but he let it pass. The man must have been a head case to give up this pint-sized amazon. She was like Amanda…and not. It was that resilience he was drawn to. She wasn't a quitter, and managed to keep her attitude positive even when the chips were down. Weren't many women like that, he realized. No wonder she and Amanda were friends.

They walked slowly up to the house. He didn't touch her, but he was close enough that she could draw comfort from his presence. It would be nice to have a man like that around all the time, she thought regretfully. Not for the first time, she kicked herself for having wasted so many years on Tony. Then she berated herself. Everything had its purpose…without that carpetbagger Tony, she would never have had her boys and she couldn't imagine life without them.

Linda hesitated as she reached for the door handle. Home was no longer the safe haven she had taken for granted the day before. She felt a prickling on the back of her neck. This wasn't over yet.

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The man across the street in the dark blue sedan cursed as he pulled the binoculars from his eyes. He couldn't believe the bitch had fallen so low. He never would have allowed her to ride a motorcycle. Next, she'd be sporting a tattoo and sitting on a lawn chair sipping beer from a bottle. She had never deserved him. All he needed to do was find out where she had hidden it, and then he'd never see her again. That would suit him just fine.

"Who's the muscle?" his swarthy companion growled.

"I never saw him before," he answered in an aggrieved tone. He was mortified that his associate would think he had been married to trailer trash. Jimmy Marciano was still a little rough around the edges, but he had very important connections.

"He looks like trouble…bet that's why none of them fancy bugs you left last night worked."

Tony's jaw clamped down firmly in suppressed anger. It had been a perfectly good plan. If his stupid ex-wife had stayed home last night, he could have cornered her then. Well, she couldn't hide the boys forever, and he could always use them. She always had been ridiculously protective of them. They'd grow up sissies with no business sense, but that was her problem now, not his.

"I'll take care of Linda's 'friend,'" Tony shot back.

Marciano's harsh laugh belted across the short distance between them. "Good one, Tony. Didja get a look at that guy? Nah, I'll get some of my boys to take care of it," he said, shaking his head. He launched his portly frame out of the car effortfully and waddled down the street to a truck emblazoned Hartley's Appliance Repair. The men who climbed out of it didn't look like repairmen.

A dull flush spread across Tony's cheeks at Marciano's lack of faith. He didn't know who that asshole was with Linda, but now he had a score to settle. Nobody screwed with Tony Caprese.

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Amanda hung up the phone slowly and thoughtfully. That was the sixth call she had made and there was still no response. She had an unsettled feeling in her stomach. Something was just not right about this. Automatically, she reached for the phone to call Lee before she remembered and let her hand drop. Where _was_ he? Why hadn't he called her by now? She felt bereft as she realized how she had come to depend on her partner on so many levels.

She chewed her lip uncertainly. It wouldn't be like Leatherneck just to leave Linda there alone without having left a message for her. As casual as he could be, Leatherneck was good about details like that. Her uneasiness only grew. She nodded her head decisively and reached for her car keys and purse. It would have been easier with Lee to strategize with, but somehow she'd manage on her own. There must be a good reason no one was answering. Amanda sent a quick fervent prayer heavenward that she was wrong.

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"Oh my Gosh, Leatherneck, Leatherneck…Jackson!" Her voice was insistent as she tried to rouse him. Her hands ran gently across his scalp, probing for injury. Sure enough, she felt the swelling from what must have been a substantial blow. He hadn't gone down without a fight, she realized with worry and regret. His cheek already showed bruising and his shirt was torn. More she couldn't see in the shadowed walkway where she had found him sprawled facedown on the ground. His bike was still out front, but Linda was nowhere to be found. Amanda clamped down on her fear with accustomed practice. Fear made for poor thinking.

"Unh…" a low gutteral moan came from the injured agent as his hand moved slowly to rub the back of his head.

"Leatherneck? Can you hear me? Are you OK?"

He groaned, "Hell, no. But I'll be OK." Slowly he pushed himself into a sitting position. His head was splitting.

"Oh Leatherneck, I'm so sorry I dragged you into this." Amanda was distraught. "Do you know what happened? Do you have any idea where Linda is?"

"Oh damn…they got her. There were three guys who came for me out here." His voice was halting and rough. "Not amateurs - enforcers. Got their orders from someone called Marciano." He forced himself to standing with sheer willpower. "That GQ ex of hers was there too." Linda hadn't been too happy to see her ex and had let fly with an unexpected right hook that may very well have given her ex-husband a shiner. Before he faded out, he had heard them arguing as they forced her into her very own blue sedan.

"Mrs. King, I don't know what they were talkin' bout, but you might. He said a little fresh moutain air might revive her memory. He kept talkin' about a letter chest, too. Some Civil War heirloom." He shook his head slowly and regretfully. "I know it's not much to go on. Damn, I'm sorry."

Amanda leaned back against the gardening bench along the back wall, lost in thought. She held up her forefinger as she thought aloud. "If I was Tony and had been away for a long time, I would probably stick to places I knew well. I mean, you get to know a place and you think you're going to remember everything about where things are, you know? But then you move away and six months later, if you go back you can only remember one way to get to the veterinarian when you used to know three. So I bet he's sticking to places he knew really well. Did this Marciano talk about where they were going?"

Leatherneck looked bemused as he tried to follow her line of reasoning. "No, he was pretty impatient with GQ…Wanted him to get a move on and find the chest and get the key."

"A chest…a letter chest. Those weren't very big were they? Just like a fancy box with drawers. Linda's great-grandfather had been a Secretary to General Lee back during the Civil War, I think. She had a few antiques from that side of the family." Amanda's brow creased in thought. "About two years ago when things really got tight, she sold them all."

"Damnation. When they figure out she doesn't know anything, they won't keep her as a witness. These guys aren't playin' games!" Leatherneck looked torn apart that he hadn't been better able to protect her.

"I know where the chest is, Leatherneck." Amanda responded quietly.

"What! I thought you said she got rid of it all?"

She shrugged and looked discomfited. "I had one of Mother's quilting bee members buy it for me. I knew Linda wouldn't take charity, but someday she'd want to pass those things down to her boys. They're in the back of the closet in Mother's room at my house." She paused thoughtfully, lightly tapping her lower lip. "You know…I have an idea! Fresh mountain air, isn't that what he said?"

"Yeah. It's not much, but…"

"I think it's enough!" Amanda's voice rose in excitement. "There was a cabin on her grandfather's land. I went with her once to clear out the place to sell it when she had to pay the debts Tony left behind. She sold the cabin and just about everything in it, but I bet Tony wouldn't know that!"

"Hey, it fits. It'd be familiar, anyway. Doesn't sound like that prize of an ex- would be too worried about trespassing, would he? How far?" His face brightened at the possible lead.

"Just an hour or so. I could find it, I know I could. There was a little shop on the way that sold moccasins, the old fashioned kind. My aunt loves those, so I kept in mind for Christmas, you know? It wasn't more than fifteen minutes from there - I wouldn't forget that. It isn't easy to find a store like that these days, people want those Dearform slippers now, but they don't wear as well and…"

"Mrs. King!" Leatherneck's voice was tinged with impatience.

"Right, sorry!" She gave a self-deprecating smile. "First my house to check the box and then right to the cabin? But wait, Leatherneck, are you OK to drive?" Her voice mirrored her concern.

"I'd better be OK. We have a long way to go today, I figure." He made his way toward his bike with only a trace of a limp. Looking at him, no one would think he'd come off the worse end of a fight only an hour before.

Amanda felt a surge of gratitude as she watched him gun the bike into life and she made her way quickly to her own car. This wasn't Agency business. This wasn't someone he even knew well that he was choosing to help. He was putting himself on the line for someone he hardly knew. The more she got to know Leatherneck, the better she liked him.

She shut down that line of thinking. She shouldn't even be thinking about another man. Lee would call her. When he did, she was sure he had a _very_ good reason that she hadn't heard from him for three weeks even though there was no official dictate that he couldn't call. Fear and frustration welled up within her. If ever she needed Lee, it was now and he was nowhere to be found.

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"I really think you should have worn long sleeves, like mine!" Amanda whispered tightly.

"Mrs. King, it's 85 degrees in the shade, why on God's green earth would I want to wear a flannel shirt?" Leatherneck muttered back as they combat crawled through the brush on the slope up toward the cabin. His black t-shirt and jeans hugged him tightly.

"'Cause I think this is poison ivy!" Amanda pointed to the glistening leaves of the vine that surrounded them with alarm.

Leatherneck swore softly. "Damnation…where's the Agent Orange when you really need it!" He looked disgusted and disgruntled, but not distracted from the task at hand. "Never mind. Itching may be the least of our problems…there's no way to approach that cabin without being seen."

Amanda nodded in reluctant agreement. The weathered gray cabin stood on an outcropping in a clearing. The cover provided by the trees and brush would only get them within thirty yards of the house and there were guards posted at each corner.

She reflected that for all his easy going ways off duty, Leatherneck looked every inch a marine right now. His face was taut with concentration as he assessed their opportunities for approach. She could tell he didn't like the odds.

"Look," she whispered intently. "We need a distraction. I can do that! None of them know me except Tony and he probably won't even remember me. We only met once or twice. I could distract at least two of the guards. Even if they take me in, then I can prepare Linda to break out when the time is right."

Leatherneck scowled at her. "Are you crazy? How do you know they won't…"

"They're not going to shoot me!" She countered strongly. "Why do anything to draw unwanted attention up here? Look, they'll see me as some nosy neighbor or hiker, just an inconvenience. They don't know that I know anything about them! Besides, I hold the trump card…I know where the key in the chest is. That's what they're after anyway!"

Leatherneck shook his head slowly, "I don't like it, Mrs. King. Too much could go wrong…"

"Amanda. Right now, Leatherneck, I'm Amanda. I'm your partner and you've got to trust me!" Her voice was emphatic, but then she shrugged with a smile. "Besides, who's going to be better at confusing them than me? That's my specialty!"

A small smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. "You're no coward Mrs…Amanda. OK, go up the front walk way. Be careful."

She nodded in silent aquiesence, her eyes wide and serious. Leatherneck watched with his heart in his mouth as she silently made her way back down the bluff towards the road in order to walk up to the house. The woman had guts. Scarecrow had chosen even better than he realized. He hoped the damn fool appreciated it.

She was cheerful and breezy as she approached the cabin and the men in dark suits standing outside. "Oh hi there! You must be the new neighbors! I'm so glad you're home! I'm Cathy, Cathy Carmichael and I live in the yellow house back on Derwent Road." She definitely had their attention and like faithfully trained dogs, they looked in the direction she was pointing. Perfect, that got him to the woodshed next to the cabin. Now he just had to bide his time and take them out one by one.

Amanda continued, "I wasn't sure you'd be here or I'd have brought something to eat. We don't exactly have a welcome wagon out here, you know, nothing that formal, but we sure do like to welcome our new neigh…" Her voice faltered as she found herself staring down the barrel of a pistol.

"We don't want no pesky neighbors." A broad angry slab of a man countered.

"Hey, Dom. Don't make a scene." The other guard warned him. "Great. Now, we'll have to bring her inside. Can't you put your mind in gear before you put your trap in motion? Jesus…what's Mr. Marciano gonna say?"

"Hey, I was only…" the guard Dom started to argue. Leatherneck heard them continue to argue as they marched Amanda with her arms up into the house. She was right. A calculated risk, but it looked like it could pay off.

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"Look…I just came over here to introduce myself…Clearly you folks like your privacy, so if you'll just let me go, we can pretend this never happened." Amanda continued dissembling as she went inside. When she saw Linda, she gave a barely discernable shake to her head, as if to say 'you don't know me!'

"Sorry, Mr. Marciano. This chick just came up and wouldn't leave us be so I thought we could keep her nice and quiet in here," Dom blustered.

"You moron! Now we have someone else to keep quiet. Whadda you have, shit for brains?" Marciano bellowed back. "Put her in the kitchen. She can help the other one make us dinner." He dismissed her from his thoughts entirely

He turned back to Tony Caprese who looked pale and anxious at the long table in the corner. "What's the deal, Tony? I thought you said your ex- could get us the key. So here we are. No key - no money. Now here's what we call a real problem, Tony." His voice had an unmistakable threat defining it. "We leant you money with certain terms, you know? We're disappointed, Tony…real disappointed."

"Look, I just need more time. I know we can find it. I just need to find out where that bitch put…" Tony's head snapped back with the force of Marciano's backhanded blow.

"That's no way to talk about the mother of your boys, Tony. And no way to find out where she put that chest and key, either. You got to use your brains, you know?" Marciano turned to bestow an insincere smile on the women in the kitchen as they backed up to the edge of the counter. "Especially when they're working so hard to feed us dinner, right girls?"

Linda nodded, swallowing convulsively. She had known, at the end, that some of Tony's business dealings had been unsavory. She just hadn't realized that they had been with what appeared to be organized crime. Now she had gotten her best friend involved, too. Despair washed over her.

"Uh, right. Dinner, OK. Well…we can make the men dinner, right? I'm Cathy, Cathy Carmichael." Amanda continued to dissemble. Marciano turned back to interrogating Tony and chewing out Dom while the other guard, Vincent went back outside.

"Linda…Linda Caprese." Her voice shook a little. Her eyes opened wide as Amanda turned up the oven to over 500 degrees and started filling it with metal kitchen tools on a baking tray. She tossed Linda a set of oven mitts.

Amanda began rifling through the cabinets, ostensibly looking for ingredients and tools. But an odd assortment followed - a bottle of olive oil, a bag of flour, matches, a rolling pin. Her movements were purposeful, quick and efficient. Linda was confused, Amanda didn't look like a frightened captive and goodness knows they had cause to be alarmed. "I'm sure we can whip up something in a jiffy…", she continued to talk incessantly to Linda as she moved about the kitchen creating quite a clatter. In a sotto voice, she told her friend "We're going to get you out of here. Just be ready."

Linda began to realize the clatter had a purpose. She heard a muffled thud. A few minutes later, she heard another, and saw a small smile play around Amanda's mouth. "Get ready…" she whispered to her friend, moving to open the oven door.

Even as the back cabin door burst open and Leatherneck entered in a diving roll, Amanda burst into action. She threw and shattered the bottle of olive oil by Dom's feet and started throwing the blazing hot spatulas, spoons, tongs, and scrapers at their opponents. Linda quickly caught on and the men ducked under the onslaught, swearing and crying out as they were singed by the burning tools.

Leatherneck focused on the beefy guard first, but the towering block of man couldn't get traction on the oily floor and the agent made quick work of him. Tony came after him with rage in his eyes, but he was no match for the senior agent who felled him with a roundhouse kick. Tony lay on the floor, doubled over and moaning. Leatherneck enjoyed being able to pay back a little of what he had received back at Linda's house.

While Leatherneck fought the others, Marciano, pistol in hand went to garner the women as hostages. He was unprepared for what was to come when Amanda shouted to Linda, "Shake out the flour!" and threw a match into the white cloud of powder. The resulting flash explosion was blinding and Marciano threw his arms up to shield his eyes. In that moment, he felt a blinding flash of pain as a rolling pin came down on the back of his head, before darkness overtook him.

Amanda lay down the rolling pin and dusted the flour off her hands sharply. She looked over to see Leatherneck's wide approving grin. "Now you see what I mean, Mrs. King. They don't cover _that_ in any manual I ever read!"

Linda's voice was ripe with amazement. "What are you talking about? And Amanda, how did you ever…"

"Ladies, I hate to interrupt. But I don't think we got a lot of time to play with here. We can phone it in to authorities so they make a pick-up. Marciano here is definitely on a wanted list, but you're gonna get a lot of uncomfortable questions if you're still here…both of you." Leatherneck set to work quickly trussing up the men."

Tony Caprese started to whine. "You can't leave me here with them. I mean, if they find out I was involved with this…Marciano has friends everywhere. He'll kill me…or he'll get me killed. You can't just leave me here!"

Linda's eyes narrowed. "Oh, just like you were going to leave me to their tender mercies, Tony? Save your breath."

She walked over to Leatherneck and laid her hand on his arm. Her voice cracked, "I can't thank you enough…" She couldn't continue as her eyes filled with tears, so she went up on tiptoe to kiss the agent's cheek.

"I see you've been slumming these days, Linda." Tony's lip pulled back in a sneer.

Her eyes raked over his Italian suit, pressed shirt and the tie that matched his pocket handkerchief. How had she ever been attracted to a dandy like him, she wondered. "No, Tony." If anything, she stepped in even closer to Leatherneck. "I stopped doing that the day you left." Her glance was cool and dismissive. This time, when she turned to Leatherneck, she brushed his lips with her kiss of thanks before stepping away.

Leatherneck reached out to grasp her wrist loosely. His smile was warm and lit his eyes. He liked this woman; she was a class act. He jerked his head at Tony, still sprawled on the floor. "What do you want to do with him? I hate to say it, but he's right. If it gets out that he crossed Marciano, he's done."

Linda looked torn. On the one hand, she was more than happy to let Tony taste his just desserts; he would have happily looked aside if they had killed her. "Let's take him," her voice was weary with disgust. "I never want to see him again, but I won't tell my sons I let their father be killed."

He squeezed her hand in understanding before releasing it. He pulled the complaining Tony to his feet. "You think I ever want to see you again either? If you hadn't been so stupid so you lost that chest with the key, this never would have happened." Leatherneck had had enough. He cocked his right fist and drove an uppercut into the malcontent's jaw and watched with satisfaction as he sagged to the ground.

Leatherneck grimaced, shaking out his right hand. "I'll save him for you, Ms. Caprese. As long as I don't have to listen to him." He hauled the man over his shoulder with a grunt. "Damn. Shoulda knocked him out closer to the car."

Linda's eyes were bright with laughter. "First, call me Linda. And second…you have got to teach me how to do that! I wish I had done it years ago!"

Her breath caught at his lazy grin. "I can do that, anytime you want…Linda." Her heart was pounding, and it wasn't just from this recent altercation.

Amanda sailed back into the room, oblivious to the sexual tension between her friends.

"Well…I called the authorities and the Sherriff is on his way. But if we don't want this 'anonymous tip' to have our name on it, we better get a move on. Oh…what are we going to do with him?" Amanda pointed to Tony with more than a touch of revulsion.

"I'm thinking he might be a very good candidate for the witness protection program." Leatherneck bit out.

"They don't usually live very high profile lives, do they?" Linda asked, smiling.

"No ma'am, they don't!" Leatherneck reassured her. Linda got a very satisfying vision of Tony Caprese in gray coveralls, emptying garbage cans. It was something to look forward to.

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"You OK back there?" Amanda looked back in the review mirror of Linda's blue Dodge Dart.

"Well, I've kept better company, but at least he's quiet." Linda replied wryly, trying to avoid the listing form of her ex-husband kept in place in by his seat belt. "I could have driven, Amanda. Really…I'm OK!"

Amanda checked the driver's side mirror reflexively to see if they were being followed. She only saw the reassuring view of Leatherneck on his bike behind her. All things considered, she was relieved to be in the car rather than riding tailgate on his bike. She had had enough excitement for one day. Her brown hair whipped about her face from the breeze caused by the open car windows. Linda had what she called a 4-60 air conditioning system. Four windows open at 60 miles per hour.

"Amanda…Are you going to tell me what you and Leatherneck actually do for a living, or am I supposed to use my vivid imagination to fill in the blanks?" Linda's cajoled her friend, but there was a steely element underneath.

"What do you mean?" she asked weakly. She had a feeling her friend was not going to be fobbed off easily.

"I mean that my best friend and co-chair of the PTA does not generally cause dust explosions and try to harpoon criminals with meat forks! Just how did you know where to find me? And where did you find _him!" Linda looked out the rear window at the dark figure bent low over his bike. She bit her lip, having difficulty to tear herself away from the view._

"_Um…well, I guess you could say that some parts of our work require special training, and Leatherneck was just helping me with that before I have an…exam…this coming week." Amanda made a vague gesture with her right hand. Her eyes were focused on the curves of the road ahead as they made their way down the moutainside._

"_Exam!…what do they test you on, how fast you can throw a potato peeler?" Linda scoffed lightly._

"_Not exactly…" Amanda sounded distracted. "Hey, Linda. Have you had your brakes checked recently?"_

"_Well, sure. New pads and rotors two months ago." She patted the armrest next to her. "I need to keep this baby going for as long as I can."_

"_Oh." Amanda didn't sound reassured._

"_Why? Is there a problem?" Linda was concerned._

_Amanda's voice cracked with the strain. "Not unless you think going down the Appalachians without brakes is a problem, no!" Her hands tightly gripped the steering wheel as they raced down the steep, curving road. She watched as the speedometer slowly began to climb as she pumped ineffectually at the brakes. She successfully managed a hairpin turn to the right with the car squealing in protest._

"_Oh my God!" Linda cried out, gripping the back of Amanda's seat. "They must have cut my brakes!"_

_Amanda was too focused on the road to reply. She was so very focused, she barely registered the loud roar of the motorcycle engine as Leatherneck pulled up next to them, shouting through the passenger window. "Hey, Mrs. King. Where's the fire? Save it for Tuesday, OK?!"_

"_No Brakes!" She shot back. "Watch out!" He pulled back. The car pealed into another hair-raising turn as the momentum began to climb. She took a deep breath; they appeared to have a long straight stretch with a shallower incline just before them. She had no idea how she was going to get out this one with herself and her passengers intact._

"_Keep it steady as you can!" She heard Leatherneck shout through the passenger window as he pulled up close alongside. It couldn't be safe to ride as close as he was to the car._

"_What are you doing?!" she shouted to him in alarm._

"_I'm coming in! Just keep your eyes on the road! Don't worry about me!" Leatherneck shouted back._

_Easier said than done, she thought. Linda watched wide-eyed and bit her hand in a fearful attempt to stop herself from screaming aloud. She watched him balance his agile form until he was crouching, balanced on the seat of the motorcycle. It happened so quickly, she could barely register it, but he leaned over to grip the car's passenger window and then dove in, kicking the bike away from the car. She heard it clatter behind them, but she was only focused on its driver as she reached forward to grab him by the shoulders and help pull him fully into the car._

"_Are you crazy, Leatherneck?" Amanda shouted in alarm._

"_Yeah, but I thought you knew that," he rejoined recklessly, buckling in his seat belt._

_She ignored the joke. "Oh my gosh…What do I do?" she asked tensely, guiding the car through another hair-raising turn and narrowly missing a station wagon climbing the hill in the opposite direction._

"_Any parking brake?"_

"_Not much…I tried."_

"_OK, ease over to the side of the road. See up there, there's some curbed edges. Try and cut your wheels against the curb…Yeah, that's it…not too much or you'll pop the tires. Good, Nice one, Mrs. King. Keep doing it."_

_At last they weren't gaining momentum; but they weren't slowing down either. As Leatherneck coached Amanda, Linda realized that one of the last things she would see in this lifetime would be his rough-hewn profile; it wasn't a bad last memory she thought inanely. _

"_Hot damn!" Leatherneck shouted triumphantly. "See that sign? There's a truck arrester bed coming up on your right."_

"_Do you think just at this moment you could speak English and not car talk?" Amanda's voice squeaked with the strain, as she struggled to steer the rapidly descending car. _

"_See that exit ramp…the one on the right? Take it!" His said forcefully._

"_It doesn't go anywhere!"_

"_I know, I know…Trust me, just take it!"_

_Amanda's teeth sank into her lower lip as she wrested the car into the right hand lane and headed for the short gravel ramp. She flinched, looking at the long row of pine trees just at the end of the ramp, utterly certain that they were going to hit them._

_Miraculously, the car suddenly slowed as it hit the gravel. It churned up the white gravel stones as they flew behind them; but the car slowed dramatically and came to a complete stop just yards in front of the pines. Silence reigned, broken at last by Linda's laughter. She couldn't restrain it and had to wipe her eyes. Amanda joined in, leaning against the steering wheel for support._

"_And you say I'm crazy!" Leatherneck said disbelievingly._

_Amanda waved him off weakly, still laughing. "I just decided you were right!"_

"_Yeah? How's that?"_

"'_Dead' or 'Not Dead'. 'Not Dead' really is better!" Amanda collapsed into laughter again._

_He looked into the back seat. Sleeping beauty there never even woke up. He felt Linda's hand on his shoulder. "I don't know exactly how you're supposed to thank someone for rescuing from kidnappers and stopping your runaway car, but 'Thanks…Jackson.'"_

_A smile tugged at his mouth and he joined in their laughter. It really had been quite a day. But at least after this latest demonstration, he was pretty certain Amanda King could pass Station One tomorrow with flying colors._

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	4. Chapter 4

Lee all but slammed the phone receiver back down on the hook. Where the hell was Amanda, anyway? Her mother was obviously taken in by her cover story. Huh. Imagine, Amanda doing research for a documentary on the life cycle of the dragonfly on the Nashaway River. He didn't think so.

Come to think of it, Billy had been pretty cagey with him when he debriefed on Tuesday. Then he kept Lee busier than a one-armed paper hanger for the next three days doing surveillance. Amanda hadn't returned any of his calls and Billy avoided or stonewalled any questions about her. Francine was nowhere to be found. He couldn't press it any more without people realizing that Amanda was more than a partner to him.

Lee missed her. He had spent three weeks navigating across the mountainous terrain of Guatemala, avoiding authorities and guerillas alike. Had he been able to take direct routes, he could have been home two and a half weeks ago. The information he carried was just too sensitive to risk it being confiscated by a crooked customs agent. Damn, he was exhausted. All he could think about on those stifling rickety buses and in the cramped shacks outside Antigua that he hid in, was that when he got home, he would curl up with Amanda in his arms and share a bottle of wine - perhaps watch an old movie. When he got home, was she anywhere to be found? No.

Where did Billy get off, anyway? This was his partner. Didn't he have a perfectly good right to know his partner's whereabouts? It wasn't like they would have allowed her to go on a difficult assignment while he was away. She was still far too green for that.

He swiped his keys off the table by the door and all but slammed the door behind him as he headed to the elevator. It was Friday, and he was not going to go into the weekend without knowing where Amanda was. He would be meeting with Billy Melrose, whether his superior wanted to see him or not.

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"Well…kiddies…did we have a nice time at summer camp?" Dr. Smyth tapped his cheroot out into the silver ash tray on the table. The agents at the conference table suffered the patronizing tone with inaudible grinding of teeth. "Billy, you must give them a gold star on their papers. What prodigies they are…"

Lee could never understand how the man managed to speak without facial expression. It was like watching a malicious ventriloquist with delusions of grandeur. Lee had virtually cornered Billy in the bullpen and then been swept into one of these meeting farces where Dr. Smyth liked to hold court. He had been startled to see Amanda come in, escorted by Leatherneck of all people. Talk about an unlikely pairing! She looked radiant. She was always bright with energy and enthusiasm, but even he could feel that she was walking on air today.

He was more than vaguely hurt and surprised when she chose to sit next to Leatherneck and not him. Beyond nodding to him in recognition, she didn't speak to him and kept her eyes down or on Dr. Smyth. He couldn't catch her glance to save himself. His eyes narrowed as he saw Leatherneck lean in to whisper something to Amanda and saw her bite back a smile. When had they gotten so chummy, anyway?

He half-listened to Dr. Smyth pontificate about his latest thoughts on policies and procedures. The man had an endless supply of hot air. But he was surprised as he wound up to see him congratulating Amanda and passing her a certificate. What had he missed?

"Our very own happy homemaker has gone to the top of the class. Well done, Mrs. King. Now let us see if you can put all that training to use for more than the cub scouts, shall we?" With a supercilious smile, he headed for the door. "Oh Billy, Stetson. Walk with me. You can walk and recount recent events at the same time, right kiddos? I had the most interesting call from the Guatemalan ambassador and I'm sure you can shed some light on your undoubtedly fascinating travels in the past few weeks. Like burros, do you Stetson? Perhaps we can arrange to get you one for here in Washington…"

The acerbic monologue continued as they went down the hallway. Lee followed reluctantly with more than a trace of impatience. He would get this over with so that he could finally catch up with Amanda. He was proud, but just a little surprised. She passed Station One. He wouldn't have guessed she was ready. He couldn't wait to celebrate with her.

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Leatherneck waited and watched as Amanda graciously accepted her congratulations from her colleagues. She should be proud. She hadn't just passed it. She had aced it. Francine had been her evaluator and pulled no punches. He should know, having been the Ringer. The look on Francine's face after Amanda finished the motor course was worth the price of admission. He liked Revlon well enough, but periodically he enjoyed seeing her eat humble pie.

The last of them filtered out of the conference room and they were alone. He perched comfortably on the edge of the table and smiled. "Feels good, huh?"

"Oh, you have no idea!" She smiled at him broadly. "Honestly, Leatherneck, I never thought I'd pass it!"

"Faith, Moonshine, you gotta have more faith in yourself!"

A smile lit her face. "Moonshine?"

"Yeah - well if they ever bring back Prohibition and we set up another still, I figure you're all set to do runs for us. You can do a Bootlegger's turn with the best of them now, 'Shine."

His bestowing a nickname on her placed the final touch on her feeling accepted at the Agency. Foolishly she felt tears spring to her eyes. "Thank you so much, for all your help" She approached him and lay her hand on his arm.

He winced involuntarily. "Oh my gosh, I keep forgetting. How bad are they?" She turned over his hand and rolled up the sleeves to see the angry red rash underneath running up his arms. "I know just the few spots I have are driving me crazy." She held up her own wrists which were laced with rash, as was her collarbone with traces on her neck. "What I put you through this weekend - really, I am so sorry. You know I have calamine lotion in my bag, I could…"

"Mrs. King…Amanda, it's OK, really."

"Are you sure?" The concern in her eyes was genuine.

"Yeah. I'm sure…I do have a question for you, though."

"Hmm?"

"Want to tell me what's going on with you and Ace, there?"

Amanda's eyes fell away. "Well, you know…" She shrugged noncommittally.

"Yeah. Remember what we talked about, though, life is too short…"

"I know, I know…" She looked uncomfortable. She hadn't imagined seeing Lee again first in front of all of her colleagues. She had wanted to call him to celebrate last night when she got home from Station One, but felt oddly constrained and put down the phone before making the call.

"How about you? Life is short, you know." Amanda put the question back on him.

"I don't know, do you think Linda would want…" Leatherneck almost appeared diffident.

"Yes! I do! And not just because she's grateful either." Amanda retorted.

They heard footsteps in the hall, a quick measured cadence that spoke of years in military boarding schools. Amanda was startled to feel Leatherneck's arms quickly snake around her before pulling her up and against him in a thorough kiss. She spread her fingers against his chest to push back, but found he allowed no resistance. 'Enough is enough,' she thought. First he's talking about seeing my friend, now he's kissing me! Men!

"Well, well, well…so the cat's away and the mice will play? Eh, kiddies? I'll just have to talk with Billy about reviewing the non-fraternization policy with his staff, now won't I?" He walked over to retrieve the silver cigarette case he had left on the conference room table. They broke apart, startled. Amanda felt the blush crawling up her cheeks.

"Sir, I…" she faltered.

"Oh, I think the less said the better in these situations, don't you m'dear? But let's keep our extracurricular activities outside the Agency, shall we? Good." He exited, but left the door to the conference room wide open.

She took a deep breath before facing him. "Leatherneck, I thought we had an understanding that…"

He was grinning, which was downright disconcerting under the circumstances. "Didn't you hear him, he's going right down to talk to Billy right now!" She whispered urgently.

"Oh yeah. A long lecture on non-fraternization is on our horizon." He replied, unalarmed.

"Leatherneck! Everyone will be talking about us!" She was indignant.

"Uh-huh." He rose easily into a standing position as he pulled her toward the hallway. "And can I point out Mrs. King, that if they are talking about you and me then they aren't thinking about you and Ace." He lifted his eyebrow and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "When you lie…keep it simple and as close as possible to the truth."

"Oh!" She colored lightly. "So I suppose I'm supposed to thank you for ruining my reputation?"

"Well, a man's got to do what a man's got to do." He laughed.

Amanda shook her head. First, she needed to reconnect with Lee and find out where he had been for the last three weeks. As for Leatherneck's solution? Well, it was an unconventional solution, but maybe - just maybe - it would work.

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Lee waited impatiently for Dr. Smyth in Billy Melrose's office. The man's veiled insults to the staff were all variations on a theme and he had heard them all before. It really stuck in his craw how often Smyth patronized Billy, a man who was twice his worth in every respect that mattered.

He just wanted to get out of there and catch up with Amanda. He wondered why she had tackled Station One just now. He would have been glad to have helped her if he had known that was what she wanted.

Billy returned to his office with a fresh cup of coffee. Francine shadowed him. She closed the office door and turned to face Lee with a look of contained excitement. "Well, you certainly missed some developments while you were away!"

Lee turned to her with barely concealed impatience. "Developments?"

"Haven't you heard yet?" She was delighted to be the first to impart the news. "Our favorite little hausfrau and Leatherneck? Did you know they spent the weekend at a cabin in the mountains?" She said in a sly undertone. "And from the poison ivy they're both sporting, I guess it wasn't hay they were rolling in!"

Francine missed the tension in Lee's shoulders and the tic that began jumping in his cheek. "Do you know what I heard them talking about after Station One? They're going furniture shopping! Did you ever? I mean, isn't that the funniest thing you ever heard? I have to say…I didn't think she was that spontaneous, but I guess you never really know about the people you're closest to - do you?"

Billy took a quick look at Lee and decided to intervene. "Francine, that's quite enough speculation. We don't need to start or feed rumors and that's the last I expect to hear about this. Understood?"

His door flew open and Dr. Smyth stalked in stiffly. "Melrose, I think it's time you exercised a bit of discipline with your motley little crew. I just walked in on a little tryst up in the conference room. Time to dust off your non-fraternization lecture, wouldn't you say?"

"A tryst?" Lee bit out.

"Yes, the redoubtable Mrs. King and that ex-marine of yours, Billy, you'll need to keep an eye on them. I expect my agents to act like agents, not like matinee idols. Comprendo?"

Lee felt a sick twist of betrayal in his chest as the white heat of anger and jealousy ripped through him. He had been sucker punched. He ignored Smyth and Francine, turning to Billy and saying "I have an appointment with a source, Billy. I'm sure you all can carry on this conversation without me." He nodded curtly at the others and strode quickly out the door and out of the bullpen.

"Stetson. Stetson - where do you think you're going?" He heard Dr. Smyth calling stridently behind him. He just kept walking. Right now, he couldn't put enough distance between himself the Agency.

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Amanda straightened her shoulders before pressing the doorbell to Lee's apartment. She took a deep, calming breath. She would not be a nag or a whiner. There must have been some very good reason he didn't call her for those weeks and then left the Agency today without speaking with her. Right.

Hah. She all but ground her teeth in annoyance as she waited for his response. "Don't you ignore me, Buster!" she muttered truculently.

Lee opened the door and looked taken aback to see Amanda there. His expression quickly shifted to a cool, taunting look she hadn't seen for over a year. Slightly disheveled, he lounged against the door frame, not allowing her entrance. "Well, surprise, surprise…Mrs. King has dropped by for a social call. It is a social call, isn't it? I hear you make a lot of them."

"I make a…" Her voice rose incredulously. "Where do you get off, Lee Stetson?" With anger as her momentum, she pushed forward into the apartment and a startled Lee stumbled back in her wake. She tossed her bag on a chair and whirled around to face him. It took a fair amount to make Amanda mad, but once she was on a roll, there would be hell to pay. "Three weeks, Lee. Three weeks. Not a phone call, not a telegram. Not a message for your partner in the in-box. Nothing. And why? I'm sure I don't know! Billy didn't demand it from you - he had no idea why you hadn't called. I finally got embarrassed to be asking! Then you come back and without word one to me you leave for the day?" She lifted her eyebrow in disgust.

He looked as if he were going to reply, but she kept on her roll. "And now - Now you're making sarcastic little digs at me. Just who do you think you are, Lee Stetson?"

"You mean - who do I think I _was_? Funnily enough, I thought I was someone who mattered to you, Amanda." He turned his back to her and walked over to the cabinet to pour himself a scotch. Her betrayal still clawed at his gut. Turning, he took a sip and cocked his head before continuing. His eyes glittered in anger. "But then I discovered how easily I could be replaced in just three weeks." He knocked back half his glass of scotch.

"Replaced? What are you talking about, Lee?" A look of honest confusion passed over Amanda's face.

"Oh come off it, Amanda!" A very nice act - Eva couldn't have done it better. "Look, I got to hear from Dr. Smyth about your little 'tryst' in the conference room." His lips pulled back in a sneer as he closed the distance between them. "And Francine was more than happy to share about your cabin in the woods…I'll give Leatherneck this, he's a fast worker. I doubt I could have gotten you in a cabin in just three weeks!"

Amanda turned white with shock and rage. "How dare you!" she hissed, raising her hand to slap him across the face.

He caught her wrist in its downward blow and snaked his arm around her waist pulling her hard against him. "Oh, I'd have dared a lot more if I knew you were so…conveniently available." He paused, his voice thickening with emotion. "I don't know how you do it, Amanda. You fool everyone… you even fooled me with that innocent look. I'm just glad I found out before it's too late - what you really are."

She couldn't believe the knife-like pain his well-aimed words could cause. How could he think that of her? Didn't he know her at all? "Let me go!" she said tightly.

"Oh, believe me Amanda, I have every intention of letting you go." Lee stated certainly. He had learned his lesson all too well. First with Eva, now Amanda - he just wasn't any good at picking lovers. He bent his head down to whisper just a hairs-breadth away from her lips, "Remember this the next time you kiss Leatherneck." His lips claimed hers and took no quarter. It wasn't as much a kiss as a desperate plunder of her soul by a man with nothing left to lose. Pain lanced through him as he realized this was the last time he would ever get to kiss her. His anger and hurt fueled the fire as he sought to make an indelible impression on her as she had on him. And yet, he was hoist with his own petard as the inevitable sweetness of a kiss with Amanda broke through his defenses. He heard his own muffled moan and felt her body trembling as he ravaged her mouth with his kiss. When he pulled back, they were both breathing hard.

Her eyes were averted and her voice flat as she said "If you're done, please let me go."

Only then did he realize that he still held her in a crushing embrace. Reluctantly, his arms fell to his sides. He felt a little sick inside at what he had become. Woodenly, Amanda crossed the room to gather her bag and made her way to the door.

Her stony reaction unnerved him. "What - no excuses? No defense? Amanda - you disappoint me." He lashed out.

"Not nearly as much as you've disappointed me, Scarecrow." Her voice rasped. She opened the door and gripped its frame. "I don't owe you any explanations," she said quietly over her shoulder. "And you seem to have drawn your own conclusions."

"What - not going to defend yourself, Amanda?" His voice was mocking.

"I shouldn't need to." She said quietly and pulled the door closed behind her with a dull thud.

It was done. She was gone. In the silence that followed, Lee heard the crack as his heart shattered within him.

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"What the hell do you want, Leatherneck?" Lee bit out as he slapped open a manila file on his desk. It was all he could do not to wrap his hands around the other man's neck. He'd love to break his nose again one more time, just for the hell of it.

The other agent ignored Scarecrow's tone and slung his rangy form into the oak chair opposite Lee's desk. He rested his elbows on the arms of the chair and laced his fingers across his waist, looking every bit as relaxed as Lee was tense. He cocked his head to one side appraisingly before saying "Seems mighty quiet up here today."

"Amanda's out." Lee's tone invited no commentary. It was Tuesday; and he hadn't spoken with her since their altercation on Friday. She had called in sick the past two days, and frankly, he didn't know if she was ever coming back.

"Yeah, I know." Leatherneck said casually. "She took a couple of days off."

Of course he knew, thought Lee and he glowered at the other agent. "Is there a reason you're here, Leatherneck?"

"Yeah…I think you're being a horse's ass, Stetson." Leatherneck said matter-of-factly.

"I'm being…?" Lee's voice rose incredulously. "Where the hell do you get off?"

The other agent was unperturbed. "I'm not dating Amanda, Scarecrow."

"Oh?" Did he get tired of her that quickly, wondered Lee.

"Would have…if she had wanted me," Leatherneck said and shrugged. "But she seemed pretty stuck on you, God knows why. She didn't tell me it was you, but I figured it out." He shook his head. "Gave me the politest brush-off you ever saw and then set me up with her best friend." A smile tugged at his mouth, meeting Linda had been the best thing that had happened to him in the past two years.

Lee felt a wave of surprise and guilt wash over him. If what Leatherneck had said was true; he cringed at what he had said to Amanda. Yet he wasn't convinced.

"Dr. Smyth came around when you were away, Scarecrow." Leatherneck pulled a folded paper from his back pocket and passed Smyth's edict to him. "Said anyone who didn't pass Station One couldn't do field duty. He was pulling Amanda in immediately unless she passed it last week. I think he had a bee in his bonnet to cull her from the Agency. Suspect he wanted to do it just to piss Billy off, but I don't know."

Lee nodded warily. It sounded like Smyth to pull a stunt like that.

"Amanda didn't think she could pass the motor course and was panicked that she wouldn't be able to be your partner. So I said I'd coach her. That's all, Scarecrow."

"That's _all_? What about the cabin? How about that little love scene up in the conference room?" Lee shot back. "It doesn't add up."

"Her friend was in trouble up in the cabin and we helped her. I'll let Amanda to tell you that story - assuming she ever talks to you again. And as for that kiss…well, Amanda was real worried that people would figure out about you two, just like I did. So I know what a tale-bearer Smyth is and I made sure all he got was a red herring. If everyone in the bullpen is watching me with Amanda, they won't be watching you."

"You touch her again, Leatherneck, and I'll break more than just your nose." Lee's voice was low, but the threat was implicit.

Leatherneck stood and tipped his head toward the desk where Amanda usually worked. "You have bigger problems than figuring out how to rearrange my face, Scarecrow."

Lee nodded, chagrined. He had known Leatherneck long enough to hear the truth ring in his story.

"Hey…" Lee looked up to find unexpected compassion in the other agent's eyes. "We all screw up sometimes, Lee. Just don't wait too long to fix it." He walked to the door. Turning back, he offered "Linda told me that when Amanda's really mad, she goes to her garage and starts throwing things out."

"So your new friend Linda thinks Amanda is really mad?"

"Yeah…well - Linda said so far she's cleaned out enough to hold her own yard sale, but she's still going strong. Just in case you want to find her."

"I'll keep that in mind." Lee said noncommittally, waiting for the other agent to leave before he grabbed his car keys.

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"Now this has just got to go - I don't care what Mother says, we are not going to put a terrarium back in the living room!" Amanda carefully backed out of the crawl space above the garage clutching what looked to be an enormous brandy snifter.

Unwittingly she backed right into her partners arms as he waited silently behind her. With a scream she bobbled the glass jar and sent it crashing to the garage floor below. Lee grabbed her around the waist as she teetered on the narrow walkway plank.

"What the Sam Hill do you think you are doing, Lee Stetson?" she hissed angrily, brushing off his offending hands and backing up along the walkway.

He didn't have a chance to answer. "Amanda? Amanda, dear, are you all right?" Her mother rushed into the garage below. Looking across the expanse of shattered glass, she said "Oh my goodness, what happened here?"

Amanda crouched down and leaned over the edge of the walkway even as Lee backed up into the shadows against the wall. "Sorry, Mother." Her voice cracked. "It was the terrarium you planted back in '74."

"Oh no, I was hoping we could fill it and put it back in the living room again. It was the dearest thing, just like a miniature rainforest."

"I know Mother, I'm sorry." Amanda bit back a sigh. She was clearing out any number of her mother's old hobbies from latch hook rugs to pierced paper lampshades. Dotty West was a packrat.

"Well, let me help you sweep it up." Dotty offered, pushing up the folding stairs and closing the hatch.

Amanda responded with alacrity, "No Mother, really. I was heading down anyway. I'll get it." She got up and passed by Lee, gesturing for him to be still and silent and then headed down the pull-down ladder.

"Amanda, is there something you want to talk about?" Dotty asked carefully. "I know you and you only go on these cleaning binges of yours when something is really upsetting you."

"No, of course not, Mother. I'm just fine." Amanda blushed, all too aware Lee could hear every word from where he was standing. "We were due for a yard sale, don't you think?"

"Well, maybe…but I don't think you needed to take two days off work just to get it ready. It's not an emergency, dear."

Amanda looked at her watch. "Aren't you due to be picked up soon by Harriet, Mother? She did say she'd be here by 3:00 on the dot."

"Is it that late, already? I really should be going, then." Dotty moved in haste back toward the house. "Try not to move anything heavy dear! I don't want you getting hurt."

'A bit late for that,' thought Amanda to herself, knowing Lee was upstairs still. She reached up and pulled the handle to release the folding stairs; then turned away to find a broom and dustpan and brush.

Lee silently descended and uttered a low whistle as he saw the shattered glass that littered the floor. Amanda ignored him and began to sweep the shards into a pile. Lee felt uncharacteristically diffident. He didn't think he had ever seen Amanda this resolutely angry. He pulled the trash can to the center of the room and crouched down to brush the shards into the dustpan. They worked in tandem silently until the garage floor was swept clean.

She still wouldn't look at him. Lee reached forward and pulled the broom gently from her, holding her hand in his. "Amanda, I'm sorry."

She pulled her hand away from him and tucked it in her jeans pocket. "Oh, I didn't want the terrarium anyway, I was just going to sell it at the yard sale." She gave a slight shrug and turned away.

"Amanda!" He let out a forceful breath and raked his hand through his hair irritably. "I'm not talking about the damn terrarium. I'm talking about us."

"Oh." Amanda faced him, but kept her distance.

"Amanda, I really _am_ sorry…I shouldn't have said those things, and I don't even really know why I did." Lee began.

She interrupted him. "I'm not Eva, Lee." Her voice was sharp.

He nodded in reluctant understanding. She continued, "I'm not any of those girls you dated before." Her voice gathered strength in her anger. "And I will not let you judge me by the same yardstick, either. I didn't deserve that."

The pain in her voice cut him like a knife. "Amanda, I wasn't being rational. I know that…it's just that I missed you so much. When I came back, it seemed like in just three weeks you had created a whole new life for yourself. I'd known Leatherneck was crazy about you for months and I figured he just took the opportunity…"

"You knew what?" She interrupted him. "Do you think you could have told me? Do you have any idea how awkward that was? I was trying so hard not to let him know about us and then he figured it out anyway. And I never would have been spending so much time with him anyway, it's just that I _needed_ to pass Station One or they weren't going to let us work together anymore! And then Linda got kidnapped. He didn't have to help find her, but he did. And when they held me hostage too, I wasn't sure we were going to get out of that cabin alive…" Her emotions ran high and she spoke more and more rapidly.

"Who held you hostage?" Lee asked with alarm stepping towards her.

Amanda continued without acknowledging his question. "And you were nowhere to be found, Lee. Not a word for almost a month. I know you were checking in with Billy, but I didn't even know when you'd return. I was so scared in that cabin. They were going to kill us, I know they were! And Leatherneck was great…he really was. But I'm used to working with you, I just wasn't sure I could depend on anyone else like that." She felt tears start to crowd her eyes and dashed them away with the back of her hand. "When the car lost its brakes and I couldn't stop it, I didn't even know if I would ever see you again. And then I saw you! Back in the office in front of everyone else, and you couldn't even be civil to me. Well, I don't know what you want, Scarecrow, I really don't, but I'm pretty sure it's not the same things that I want." She was shaky as she finished.

He held her gently with his hands cupping her elbow, tilting his head to make eye contact with her. "Amanda, honey, I only got half of what happened there…but I can fill in some of the blanks. I'm sorry, I blew it. I misunderstood and I should have trusted you enough to give you a chance to explain. Can we put this behind us and move on?" he entreated her.

"No." Her voice was final.

He was startled. Amanda had always been forbearing and forgiving to a fault. This wasn't like her. "Look, Amanda, we need to put this behind us to work together."

"I don't think so. I can work with you, Lee. And I'm not going to give up my job, no matter how you treat me! But it stops there." She spoke decisively.

He seemed uncertain as he let his hands fall away. "What do you mean?"

"I'll work with you, Lee. We make a great team on the job…but off the job, we don't. I don't think we should see each other any more…socially."

A direct hit. He could feel it in the solar plexus. "Look, Amanda, I think you're overreacting."

"Do you? I don't. I'm not like you, Lee. I don't enjoy this kind of drama. What I really want is a man who trusts me and is sure he wants me. We don't have that." Her voice was now steady and firm. She meant what she said. "I think you need to leave, Lee. I'll see you tomorrow at work." She turned to walk out of the garage, her posture stiff as a poker.

"Amanda! You can't mean that!…For crying out loud, can we please talk about this?" For the first time, he felt a tide of panic hit him. What had his careless words cost him?

His only response was the dull thud of the kitchen door as she closed him out. Numbly, he crossed through her garden and walked down the street to his car. He slid into the drivers seat, but couldn't start the car. He hit the inoffensive steering wheel forcefully with his fist in frustration.

One way or another, he vowed, he would find a way to open the door back into her heart. Lee realized with sudden clarity that they had come to a new turning point. Whatever her doubts, he was certain they belonged together. He couldn't afford to lose what he had waited for all of his life to find and he would have to find a way to win her back.

Somehow.

To be continued in You Take the High Road (when that one gets written next!)


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